AAP functionary Gayatri Bishnoi faces row over Chandigarh government accommodation

What Happened

Thirty-one-year-old Aam Aadmi Party functionary Gayatri Bishnoi has landed in a political controversy in Punjab after Congress MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira alleged she was staying unauthorisedly in a Chandigarh government house at the state's expense. Khaira claimed she lived in the Sector 39 circuit house complex in a residence allotted to Punjab Health Minister Balbir Singh, adding that at least ten other non-Punjab hires for the AAP government occupied houses meant for ministers or senior officials.

Reactions and Protests

BJP leader Sunil Jakhar and his supporters reached the circuit house complex gates after booking a room, but media persons were told he was barred from entering. Jakhar claimed that eighteen outsiders lived in the facility while a native Punjabi was denied entry. Meanwhile, Bishnoi strongly denied the allegations, stating she stayed with her parents in another house within the same complex allotted to the health minister, and threatened legal action alongside a police complaint against Khaira.

Background and Career

Bishnoi hails from Barmer district's Bhalisar village in Rajasthan and is the daughter of retired Army Subedar Major Biraram Bishnoi. She studied at Maharani College and completed mass communication from Amity University Rajasthan between 2014 and 2016, later interning with MTV in Mumbai and hosting a show on DD Rajasthan. After running a Jaipur fashion boutique named Lush Life, she joined the AAP in March 2023 and became the state women's wing president a year later. She gained wider attention in November 2023 after flagging passenger misconduct on a train, leading to three arrests.

Shift to Punjab

Following the AAP's defeat in the 2025 Delhi assembly elections, Bishnoi moved her base to Punjab and joined Manish Sisodia's team. By September 2025, she was appointed one of four state observers for Punjab alongside Adil Ahmad Khan, Ritesh Khandelwal, and Asit Kumar.

Context

Circuit houses and government housing complexes are primarily maintained to accommodate visiting officials and dignitaries on official state business. Disputes over the allotment and use of such official properties by political appointees often spark intense political debate regarding the proper use of public resources.